In Christ and Christ In Us
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“Christ Is…”
“In Christ and Christ Is In Us”
John 15:4-7
Over the past few weeks, I have been preaching about Christ’s identity in our lives.
As I already stated last week, I never planned on making this a series, but through study and prayer, I realized that this was an important subject to try to cover.
I started by preaching about Christ Our Example.
Jesus came and lived a life that we should all strive to follow. The beauty is we really don’t have to strive, we just have to submit to His leadership and the direction of the Holy Spirit. The biggest problem most people have is succumbing to sin. I know that sounds ominous. It sounds very anti-Christian…and it really is. Sin is the one thing that separates us from God, BUT Jesus washed us clean from sins of the past…Psalm 103:12… sins of the present, and sins of the future. We CANNOT live in sin, but He is faithful to forgive our slips and mistakes.
Even saying that we have to continually grow in our understanding of the Holy Spirit’s role of convicting us of sin. He will do that while we are in the sin, after we have sinned (leading us to repentance), and EVEN when the sin hasn’t even been fully birthed.
That’s where we need to be is in that place of understanding that HE WILL HELP US AVOID SIN!
Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
He was tempted in every way, but did not sin!
Through the power of the Holy Spirit He resisted ALL Sin, and Now He is OUR POWER.
Through the Resurrection, His grace, His Spirit, Preservation, Love, Ministry, Strength, His Word, His Gospel, and His Promises WE CAN AND SHOULD LIVE VICTORIOUS.
His Example shows us How to live, His Powers enables us to do it, and His Ransom and Substitution PAID THE PRICE for all of it to happen.
He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
Propitiation or ATONING SACRIFICE.
Finally, Last week I preached about Christ as our Intercessor.
Even RIGHT THIS MINUTE, Christ sits at the Right hand of the Father making intercession. One point last week that I want to reinforce is the role of the Holy Spirit to interceded THROUGH US.
We can NEVER underestimate or fail to talk about the importance of the Gift Jesus gives us when He baptizes us (or fully immerses us) in His Spirit.
When we give into the Spirit and allow Him to pray to Jesus who speaks to the Father about things we may not even understand, We have a perfection of intercession that we will likely never understand here on Earth!!!
Tonight I want to focus on not just Who or What Christ is TO US, BUT point out that all of these Things Happen because we ARE IN CHRIST AND HE IS IN US!!!
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
When I got saved in 2010, I started buying Christian T-Shirts. One of my favorite things to do on a Saturday was to go to Mountain Home and stop by the Christian Book Store. Looking back, some of those T-shirts were corny, but every time I put one on, I remembered that I was representing something bigger than myself, something bigger than any of my hobbies, I was representing my God, and my relationship with the Creator and Savior of all humanity.
One of those shirts that I bought and wore often said something to the effect of “It’s not about rules or religion, It’s about a relationship.”
The sentiment of that shirt has been a driving force in my life and my walk with the Lord; It’s the essence of the Gospel.
It isn’t about what rules I can keep, or the “good works” I can accomplish, IT’S ABOUT HIM AND HIS LOVE FOR US!!!
With that said, this “religion” that we are a part of is all about one word…
ABIDING!
In the passage of Scripture I just read in John 15, Jesus says that He is the True Vine and we MUST be connected to Him.
The allusion He gives is about a type of abiding that leads to life, and equally important, BEARING FRUIT!
But look at verse John 15:3! Before we can abide and Bear fruit, there is a cleansing that must take place.
But in John 15:3 “Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.” YOU ARE ALREADY CLEAN BECAUSE OF THE WORD I HAVE SPOKEN TO YOU John 13:10-11
Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.” For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
Clearly, the foot washing ceremony was an example of servanthood. But it was more than that… Look at John 13:8 …
Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.”
This wasn’t just about dirty feet, or servanthood. This was a symbolic act pointing to something MUCH GREATER.
It was a clear understanding that without the cleansing power of Jesus’s incarnation, atoning sacrifice, resurrection, and ascension, we could not have relationship with the Father.
There would be no abiding without Him.
Without Jesus’ work on Earth, the cross, and constant intercession, WE WOULD HAVE NO VINE TO ABIDE WITH!!!
But we do have Him. We have a vine to abide with and be connected to. We have a Savior that Gives us Joy, Life, and Provision.
If you read Johns first epistle, it almost comes across as a commentary for the 15th Chapter of John.
23x’s in 1 John, the Disciple whom Christ loved uses the word abide or abiding.
From that we can learn a few things about what abiding does, and what it means for us.
I. Abiding Means Following His Example.
a. 1 John 2:6
whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
II. Abiding Means Loving Your Neighbor/Brother
a. 1 John 2:9-10
Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.
b. 1 John 3:14-17
We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?
III. Abiding Means the Word of God Abides in Us
a. 1 John 2:14
I write to you, fathers,
because you know him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
because you are strong,
and the word of God abides in you,
and you have overcome the evil one.
IV. Abiding Means We HAVE Overcome the Evil One
a. 1 John 2:14
I write to you, fathers,
because you know him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
because you are strong,
and the word of God abides in you,
and you have overcome the evil one.
V. Abiding Is FOREVER
a. 1 John 2:17
And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
VI. Abiding Means Turning From Sin
a. 1 John 3:4-10
Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
To abide in Christ daily requires dependence upon the Holy Spirit in which we do three things:
Walk by faith, Spend focused time, and Engage in intentional actions
We daily preach the gospel to ourselves (walk by faith);
Plan to abide throughout our days (focused time); and
Read Scripture, pray, live in community with others, and fight sin (intentional actions).
We do this as we live dependent upon the Holy Spirit to bring us closer to Christ.
To be “in Christ” means to have a new legal standing and a new relational emphasis. It isn’t just about being be made right with God—we want to be with God. We are new creations in Christ, freed from sin and worldly desires with new desires to abide in him. And he gives us what we need to pursue this by giving us himself.
As a deer pants for flowing streams,
so pants my soul for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?
David thirsted for God’s presence. Remember the Holy Spirit had not been given freely to everyone in the Old Testament, BUT...
BUT, Now we have the opportunity to have the almighty presence of God with us day and night, in good times and in bad. He is here and He is there.
With that said, do you desire Him more than anything else?